If you look closely, you’ll see some that started during the Great Depression, some during different recessions that followed. There are several generations of startups here. What I like about this list is that these are companies that lasted. They didn’t fail to start because times were hard. They may have had a harder time getting financing or slower initial sales than they might have had during a boom. But they still started up, and they made it.If you’re trying to start a company today, or struggling with a recent startup, companies are still making it. I posted last week about the Trunk Club dealing with rapid growth despite the crash. The blog startupmeme lists several new startups a week; sometimes several new startups a day.Focus on value: giving people something they want or need and can pay for.

If you can’t get funded, that doesn’t mean you can’t necessarily start that business. Just review your plan, focus it tighter if you have to, and think about bootstrapping.

My thought is that in down times, people actually have to answer a need or a question, which brings about a better business. In good times, people are looking to make more money and don’t always answer a need.